Certainly, Quinn McDowell preferred that some things turn out differently. More wins, a conference title or two, a triumphant senior year.

As the college career winds down for one of the most selflessly productive players in the history of William and Mary basketball, he tries to take a broader view.

McDowell was an integral part of one of the Tribe's best teams of the past 20 years, the squad that won 22 games and went to the NIT in 2010. He helped bridge the gap for a young nucleus of players. Most important, he challenged himself every step of the way, on and off the court.

"I feel incredibly fortunate to have been given this opportunity," McDowell said. "Maybe there are a few things in hindsight I would have changed. But I tried to get the most out of what I was given. I tried to bring the maximum amount of effort to whatever I did every day. In the end, that's all you can ask for and all I was capable of giving. Obviously, I would have liked to have been more successful on the basketball court, but I wouldn't trade the experience for another one."

McDowell and the Tribe (6-24, 4-13 CAA) have at least two more games in a frustrating season — the home finale 2 p.m. Saturday against Georgia State at Kaplan Arena and next week's CAA tournament, with the first-round opponent and game time to be determined.

Whenever it ends, Tribe coach Tony Shaver knows that he isn't likely to coach another player like McDowell.

"I thought we had a special player," Shaver said, "but I will quickly tell you that he's exceeded what I thought he would do as a person and as a player. He's just been incredible. He's a very rare young man."

The 6-foot-6 forward from Mason, Ohio, will leave as the sixth-leading scorer in school history, with 1,605 points and counting. He already holds school records in games played (124) and minutes (4,016). He is among the career leaders in 3-point shooting (.406) and free-throw percentage (.822).

McDowell's numbers are down a bit from last season, in part due to a preseason injury that resulted in a slow start, as well as injuries to teammates that robbed the Tribe of both depth and talent in what the players and coaches believed was a promising season.

"It's been one of those years where, for one reason or another, we haven't had everybody on track and playing to their potential," McDowell said. "That's been frustrating, feeling that you had the pieces, but the pieces aren't quite fitting together."

Still, McDowell has tried to remain upbeat and positive throughout. He is thoughtful and engaging, and speaks in paragraphs. The frustration hasn't affected his commitment in other areas.

McDowell's regular activities would tax three people. In addition to the obvious time commitment necessary for a Division I basketball player, he serves as an aide to the President on the school's President's Council.

He is a basketball delegate to the W&M Student-Athlete Advisory Council. He has been the service chair the past two years and is the council vice president this year.

McDowell is president of the Tribe Fellowship student organization on campus, working closely with Evan Muro, the Director of College Ministry at the nearby Williamsburg Community Chapel.

At the Williamsburg Community Chapel, he leads a small group of approximately a dozen high school students in Bible study every Sunday night.

"Some do it as something they like doing, kind of as a part of their schedule," said Muro, a former William and Mary football player. "Some see it as a chance to make an investment in somebody's life That's what Quinn does. He engages with the kids and really wants to know how they're doing and wants to be part of their lives."

He and roommate JohnMark Ludwick, in the summers of 2011 and '09, led groups of students from the WCC on missions to Nicaragua, working to feed and clothe orphans and impoverished youngsters in and around Managua.

Each of the past two summers, McDowell helped organize W&M basketball players' involvement in local chapters of the Boys and Girls Club.

Through the Student-Athlete Advisory Council, he helped organize fund-raising efforts that netted more than $30,000 for the First Lieutenant Todd W. Weaver Memorial Scholarship — named for the 2008 W&M graduate who enlisted in the Army and was killed in Afghanistan in 2010. The scholarship endowment will go to study abroad opportunities for W&M students.